Is Bunzl (BZLFY) Outperforming Other Consumer Staples Stocks This Year?

For those looking to find strong Consumer Staples stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Bunzl PLC (BZLFY) is a stock that can certainly grab the attention of many investors, but do its recent returns compare favorably to the sector as a whole? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

Bunzl PLC is one of 185 individual stocks in the Consumer Staples sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #16 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group.

The Zacks Rank emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find stocks with improving earnings outlooks. This system has a long record of success, and these stocks tend to be on track to beat the market over the next one to three months. Bunzl PLC is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for BZLFY's full-year earnings has moved 5% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the latest available data, BZLFY has gained about 28.8% so far this year. In comparison, Consumer Staples companies have returned an average of 8.7%. This shows that Bunzl PLC is outperforming its peers so far this year.

One other Consumer Staples stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is JAPAN TOB (JAPAY). The stock is up 20.2% year-to-date.

For JAPAN TOB, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 0.5% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, Bunzl PLC is a member of the Food - Miscellaneous industry, which includes 45 individual companies and currently sits at #211 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 1.5% so far this year, so BZLFY is performing better in this area.

In contrast, JAPAN TOB falls under the Tobacco industry. Currently, this industry has 8 stocks and is ranked #240. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +10.7%.

Investors interested in the Consumer Staples sector may want to keep a close eye on Bunzl PLC and JAPAN TOB as they attempt to continue their solid performance.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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